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Our Interpreter chinese drama review
Ongoing 5/36
Our Interpreter
5 people found this review helpful
by sunny4ever
Feb 10, 2024
5 of 36 episodes seen
Ongoing
Overall 9.0
Story 10.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.0

There is a hidden beauty in the symbolism of this drama and the nature of relationships.

The Story

Some people are missing the point of this drama, big time. This drama is about interpersonal relationships between men and women and how they communicate with each other differently.

When one interprets, be it foreign language or sign language, the interpreter has to break up the conversation into short segments and release the information they just heard into the language of choice. The interpreter in this drama could listen for three minutes of conversation and repeat back the whole conversation in the language for which she is interpreting. Her record is interpreting 10-12 minute segments of spoken words. That is remarkable. Most people can interpret only 30 seconds of conversation accurately.

What gets lost first with long segments of interpreted conversation, is emotions and intent. I have studied why the mother tongue is the language of the heart and why love and attachment is best perceived when listening in one’s mother tongue. To be able to transfer emotions and intent to another language, after listening to long segments of conversation, is close to impossible. I am intrigue by this subject material. The Chinese Drama ‘Our Interpreter’ sure makes this occupation of International Interpreter look very glamorous. The drama pits a high tech CEO launching a new interpreting application against a real live interpreter. Machine against Human. Who will win? The two were once lovers and they have not seen each other for eight years. Can love be reinterpreted?

What some may fail to grasp with this drama is how normal communication between men and women can get lost in translation. We blame it on the “Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus” syndrome. However, the base root of the issue is how emotions and intent are conveyed. Are matters made even worse over time? There is a hidden beauty in the symbolism of this drama and the nature of male and female relationships.

Quote: As a philosophy, it’s impossible for (emotions and intent) to be completely expressed and conveyed with words (When Interpreting). It requires one to feel, understand, and think about it with the heart.” From Our Interpreter.

There is an interesting side note to the Chinese drama ‘Our Interpreter’. There is a lot of English spoken in this drama, as foreign language is rendered into English. For fun, the viewer can listen to the Interpreter interpret the Chinese into English and compare it with the interpreted material in the subtitles. The human interpreter does a way better job, since she is touted to have the ability to interpret from the heart of the language she is interpreting. Someone should have been alert to make sure that the subtitled text was as good as the Interpreter.

‘Our Interpreter’ had me with their opening quote by George Gordon Byron. My mind realized that it would be stimulated. It is an intelligent drama which may not be everyone’s taste. However, this is my kind of drama, pitting two overachievers against each other and giving each a chance to make their best corrections.

Quote: “If I should meet thee after long years, how should I greet thee? With silence and tears”, George Gordon Byron.


Actors Corner

Victoria Song—I have compared her to the Korean Actress Jun Ji Hyun in the past. Her acting skills are most spontaneous and creative. I loved her in Find Yourself.

Chen Xing Xu—Acting since age three, Chen Xing Xu is a veteran actor. He also starred in The Starry Love.

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